Okay, so I've gone and removed a great number of my posts, which is why my log is currently empty. I'm going through a period in my life I'd rather not articulate, but this means I kind of want to exist as least as possible on the Internet - partly because I don't want to be found by certain people. I've also realized that I post far too often on the forums, and have been doing so while I isolate myself from the world and shirk duties (thanks in part to my skin).

I will still be updating this thing, but probably more seldom than I have been. I tend to come on here most often when I'm feeling badly about how things are going, so hopefully cutting back a bit will help some. I'm still on the same regimen, MaMa lotion + Aczone, and haven't noticed any appreciable changes - my face is continuing to get more and more hyperpigmented, and existing lesions are still healing very slowly. I'm seeing a dermatologist tomorrow, finally, for Accutane, and I will definitely update you all on how that goes. I really hope it works out and that I finally get to go on Accutane, because it's really time to nip this problem in the bud. Other than that, I'm trying to stay positive... for once.

In case this derm doesn't work out, I've found another who basically said he'd prescribe me Accutane if my blood tests came out normal. The only catch he had was that his clinic requires a patient to undergo a 4-week course of treatment on birth control, antibiotics, and topicals, just to 'prove' they're committed. I wrote him back and said I've never been more serious anything about my skin, and that I need to get the majority of my course in over the summer - there's no way I can manage my final year of school while weak, tired and stupid on Accutane. Hopefully he's understanding about this (because I'm already on birth control and have tried a slew of different antibiotics, which haven't helped me), and we can work something out. Even so, at least I've got back-up. That's all for now, everyone.

I'm just going to add onto this post for now; just wanted to share a bit of excitement. My biggest worry about Accutane is, of course, not being prescribed it - for the longest time, I've been under the impression that a derm will *not* allow it unless they absolutely have to give it to you. I've been stressing about my visit to tomorrow's derm since I set it up, for fear he won't be willing to give me Accutane - or worse, put me on a round of random medications to 'try' and clear me. Well, the consultation fee isn't that much so I'll go anyway, but the doctor I mentioned above (with the 4-week course) has emailed me back to say that he's willing to bypass the month-long treatment before he prescribes Accutane.

Basically he told me to make an appointment and that if I qualified (once he looks at my face and gets a bit more of my history, which I've already described to him), I could get entered into the system that day. Wow, I'm really happy about this... I was afraid he would insist I do the 4-week treatment, but I guess he's willing to forego that because I'm already on birth control and don't respond to antibiotics, anyway. I'm setting up an appointment with this derm directly after finals; I'm tempted to just skip tomorrow's appointment because I have a ton of studying to do - and just go to the other derm. Ah, I don't know.

We'll see, but I'm really happy this is finally starting to work out a bit. Most of the other derms I've consulted have given me extremely ambiguous answers (we do prescribe Accutane, ubt you'll first need to pay a $150 consultation fee just so we can look at you briefly), or have turned me away because I don't have severe, nodulocystic acne. So, woo hoo. This is one ray of light in my otherwise emotionally taxing, crappy crappy week.

Before I start logging about my daily acne woes and such I should give a history
I got acne in 5th grade and started Proactiv and used that through 6th grade. Proactiv seemed to help but then made my skin worse.. I tried all the OTC products nothing really helped I didn't know anything about skin and probably made it a lot worse just by picking and using wayy too strong cleansers and all that crap. Went to dermatologist in 7th grade. I tried a lot of products containing Benzoyl Peroxide. Then Retin-A Micro, Ziana, a bunch of shit I can't really recall all through 8th grade. I basically felt like a guinea pig and nothing was working my acne was pretty bad I had tons of zits and blackheads and I have the redmarks to show for it because I had a crazy picking problem [gross]
Umm freshmen year I was still on a lot of topicals and then maybe like 2nd quarter I got doryx antibiotics I don't know the full name sorry, but that reduced my spots but didn't help that much I went on Amoxicillin this May [freshmen year] that helped a lot and I was also on Tazorac and Finacea.
I still wasn't clear though and i kept breaking out so my dermatologist gave me two options Photodynamic Light Therapy [PDT] or Accutane [which was really overwhelming for me] and I had joined Acne.org and I researched both online an on the message boards here and I chose the PDT because it seemed less of a risk and less time but it costs a lot more money and I almost wish I did accutane because i would be almost over by now. I've done 3 treatments of the PDT and I don't have a lot of zits right now but my face is still red because I just got a treatment on monday so I'm looking foward/dreading when I see how my skin really is in a couple of days once the redness and peeling goes down [that's a normal side effect]. I have a shitload of redmarks on my cheeks and on my chin my forehead is clear for now.
I feel like my skin gets clear but then in a week or so it will break out again. I get so frustrated [sp?] because I am the only one in my big circle of friends that has this problem and I have been dealing with it for so long and I feel like I will never have clear skin.
I'm going into my sophmore year of high school and I don't really know what people generally log about but I think recording how my skin changes will help me learn what I am doing wrong and suchh hah.
Sorry if that bore you to death

Hi - I am new to the site and I wanted to share the regimen that my derm ordered me to follow.

wet face with cool water
wash with Lovely Looks Soap with hot water, rinse with hot water
wash again using soap and hot water
rinse using luke warm water
splash with cold water
pat dry
wait 10 minutes
apply 5% Alpha Hydroxy Pads (AM and PM)
wait 10 minutes
apply Bexzoclin (AM and PM)
Differin .3% (PM)
apply Replenix sunscreen (AM)
take tetracycline 1 pill twice daily

And she suggested that I stop using MAC and start using Jane Iredale mineral makeup.

PHEW!!

Has anyone had their doc give them such instructions?
Is anyone using any of these products? If so, then how well do they work?

my 1st regimen (or as far as i can remember):

morning:
cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
oxy cleansing pads
cetaphil facial moisturizer spf 15

night:
cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
clean & clear blackhead clearing pads
tea tree oil
cetaphil lotion

this was WAY too harsh for anyone's skin, even if you have oily skin. i don't know what i was thinking when i used two alcohol based products in one day but i did get a lot of compliments on my skin.

my 2nd regimen:

morning:
cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
cetaphil facial moisturizer spf 15

night:
cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
tea tree oil
cetaphil lotion
aloe vera

didn't really do anything... still got mild acne.

my 3rd regimen:

morning:
cleanse with water
lush tea tree water toner
clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel

night:
lancome bi-facil make-up remover
cleanse with water
lush tea tree water toner
clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel

exfoliate:
aspirin mask (3x/week)

my skin TOTALLY turned around after this (washing with just water). however, i don't know if it was hormones acting up or something but nearing my "time of the month" i got REALLY bad breakouts. other than that, no acne whatsoever.

my 4th regimen & current:
morning:
cleanse with water
lush tea tree water toner
clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel

night:
lancome bi-facil make-up remover
aveeno clear complexion cream cleanser
lush tea tree water toner
bio-oil

exfoliation:
baking soda & water mixture (2x/week)
st. ives apricot scrub (1x/week)

methods i am going to try:
oil cleansing method
apple pack (korean)
tomato pack (korean)
carrot pack (korean)
egg whites pack (korean)

right now, my skin is where i want it to be. except, i broke out pretty badly but still considered mild acne due to stress from exams. i just started using aveeno clear complexion cream cleanser and at first i didn't think it was really doing anything but it really did help tone down the redness in my skin. i'm happy with it. i want to try more natrual skins masks and tone down my regimen. my mom is korean and grew up in korea and uses ~8 products on her face. i used to do the same however i want to stop as i don't think that is good for my skin. however, koreans are big on facials, masks etc so i will try some of those to see if they work..

havent seen one of these yet, so i guess i'll post my progress.

skin type - combination
acne - moderate

started a regimen of aczone in the morning and differin at night about three weeks ago. i started out washing with cetaphil, but switched to clinique acne solutions about a week ago. im still recovering from the cetaphil! if you use it and youve been breaking out more often, i'd switch, because it sucks!

i havent had any new acne since going off cetaphil, and the aczone seems to be working. im not sure about the differin. i'll tell you in "2 to 3 months"

anyone know when this IB is supposed to come around?

I think it might be coming!!!!!! I've been on the regimen for about 12 weeks and all i have now are some blackheads which i could care less about and fading red marks. I say that my battle might be ending because i used to have acne on him forehead and now i have nothing. I havent even been doing anything to my forehead except applying cleaser. Im not to sure if this post belongs here but i didnt want to get ahead of myself and put this in success stories but WOOOOOOOOT! The great news is im only 17 but ive had acne since the start of high school which crippled my confidence. The thing which helped me most to get through acne was this site. Thanks to Dan and someone who posted the idea of icing zits. wow does it work. It takes off the redness and helps to end the zit in about two days rather than it taking a week to come to a head. So i used ice as a spot treatmen but recently after cleansing ive been applying it to my whole face.
-I put the ice in a plastic baggy
-Move it over my face being sure not to leave it in one spot for to long
-Then once im done i apply BP
As a spot treatment i would ice the zit for 1 minute then off for 4 minutes and i would do this throughout they day whenever i could.
Ice....TRY IT

Post#1 to Post#22 refers to my regimen with BenzaClin and Minocyclin, and then with BenzaClin alone.

Day 1 on my Tetracycline, Retin-A Micro and Clindoxyl regimen log starts at Post#23.
-----------------------------

So, I guess I'm sorta excited. Today I finally went to my doctor to get a referral letter to a derm. Instead he ended up prescribing medications for me. I am now using Apo-minocycline (100mg) and Benzaclin Gel. I have to use them for one month before returning to him.

Apo-minocycline is a brand of Minocycline, and Benzaclin Gel is a mixture of 5% Benzoyl peroxide and 1% Clindamycin.

I was very skeptical when he prescribed the Benzaclin because I used 2.5% BP before and my entire face got darker. The thing about it was I only used it in the night, and I always used a sunscreen, so I don't think the hyper-pigmentation was due to sun sensitivity. I told the doctor that, but he said that it was probably due to the sun (either that or I guess he did not take me on).

So this is my regimen:

Morning:
Cleanser - Wash with SpectroJel Blemish-Prone Skin, Fragrance Free Cleanser
Moisturizer - Mixture of OXY Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 (with Dragon's Blood and Phytic Acid) and Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15

Night:
Cleanser - Wash with SpectroJel Blemish-Prone Skin, Fragrance Free Cleanser
Wait 5 - 10 minutes
Treatment - Apply Benzaclin Gel
Wait 5 - 10 minutes
Moisturizer - Spectro HydraCare Blemish-Prone Skin moisturizer

Once a day:
Take Apo-minocycline either 1 hr. before or 2-3 hrs. after a meal (on an empty stomach)

I sort of screwed up on my first day though because I used a whole crap load of Benzaclin on my face by accident. I pumped too much on my hand and I was feeling bad to throw it away. I even used more of it than of my moisturizer.

Also, how was life while using Apo-minocycline? Is there anything that I should know about?

So wish me luck . I'm gonna take my first capsule of minocycline right now.

Excuse me if this is the wrong place to ask, just joined.

But I hear mixed answers on what type of soap I should use on my face. Few people online, along with my dermatalogist said it's best to use mild soaps like Dove sensitive face wash. While others say it's best to use medicated wash like Sulphur soaps and Salicylic acid wash.

Right now I currently wash my face with a mix of Sulphur and Salicylic wash because I heard that was a good combo, but haven't seen any results. ( Been doing that for over a week )

And I did use just Dove face wash before and again, didn't see much results.

So since I don't see any improvement with both, does it matter? ^^;;

What kind of face wash do you guys think I should use? If you had a better experience with one, please tell me.

Lately I've been getting breakouts every day, but it might be because I am currently visiting Poland for a month and the food or water or time change is doing something. I'm not sure if that would make a difference.

The best Acne Regiment: I promise you will see results after following this regardless of your acne condition. (Changes will have to be made for anyone using Accutane)

A lot of people make posts on what works for them and what hasn't. To be clear, it comes down to what acne symptoms, age, and intensity you have. For example, someone who is 15 and is breaking out with acne will need something different then someone who is 29 breaking out. Someone who is 15 is most likely breaking out due to hormones, where the person who is 29 could have many possibilities. In truth, most don't understand how acne works and there is no solid information from what I am stating. Hence why there is no cure. I will say this; you need to determine what kind of acne you have. I believe this is key in order to treat it. Once again this is just a theory. To explain it as an example, take cancer, there are many different forms of cancer. Each requires different forms of treatment of stages and type. When you say the term "cancer”most consider this as one form of disease. Acne also has these same characteristics; once again there isn't any solid way to prove this so I will state this as a hypothesis.

Another factor comes into play, how much build up of resistance have you accumulated? Anyone ever wonder when you take a drug your doses tend to get increased? Why doctors are constantly using different prescriptions to treat the same form of diseases? Your body is no different; it is a mutating living thing that adapts. All these factors come into play, so with that said...

I have created a Regiment that works pretty well. Like most that are on this web-site, I too, have had acne for awhile.

This regiment doesn't require a diet or anything of the sort, unless you pacifically need that due to your own --body differences--. A lot of the stuff being mentioned have been posted on the web-site by separate people, but never accumulated together with instructions. I thought I'd be nice enough to share and help contribute to fellow sufferers. Lastly, like most of you I have spent thousands of dollars trying out different forms of treatments. This works the best besides accutine which I refuse to try out due to harmful side effects.

Keep in mind, things will be switched out depending upon your own body structure, resistance, exc. Have you ever taken a product and noticed it worked really well at first? But, over time it hasn't worked so effectively? A combination of your body adapting, or the bacteria located in your body is adapting (Whatever being the case read above for explanation.)

+Basic Improvements of Proper live styles+ (All of the following are not independent categories. To really benefit from this you have to take all of the following steps. If you are a 30 year old man who is eating healthy, but not really exercising that often then you are not truly benefiting from this. Each will contribute in a small amount, but the overall progress won't improve much.)

-Exercise. (This tends to help the older crowd who are not healthy. Also keep in mind this definition is different for most people. Some would jump on a tread mill for an hour and work up a small sweat and consider this exercise. If you are a young teen most likely you are already fit and still have acne. Most likely you are simply going through hormonal fluxations, in which this would have really no effect on you unless you are a teen who is unhealthy.)

-Healthy Eating (You have probably already heard this over and over. Eating healthy tends to help your body out a lot. There are many guides online in order to accomplish this, so I won't go into much detail.)

-Oxygen Levels (Going outside and getting in sun with fresh oxygen tends to help the skin rejuvenate better. This is much better than staying inside all day. The problem is most tend to be too embarrassed to go outside, which leads to isolation followed by depression.)

-Stress Levels (Stress levels can factor in many ways that are really overlooked by most. It is always important to simply relax and enjoy a positive atmosphere.)

-Sex Activity (This only matters if you are having sex constantly. Meaning every day, a few times. Let me remind also, this only affects certain people where other people without hormone problems tend to not be affected by this at all.)

+Regiment+ (Star by category means important)(Swap out different products every six months. This is to help in preventing adaptations. If able to afford, try different regiments all at once. Will help diversify and prevent these adaptations. Read below for further detail.)

(Wake Up)
*Striper: Micro scrubber/Baking Soda: Strips your skin
Cleanser: Any form of skin care product that cleans deep in pores.

*Toner: Apple Cider Vinegar: Let this sit on your face until drying. Avoid contact with eyes.

*Mask: Homemade egg mask: One egg plus lemon juice mix and refrigerate every day/night. Apply over face rinse once dried.

Moisturizer (For days going out or meeting people ONLY): Olay Moisturizer products: Any professional strength that will last all day. I recommended basic Olay products, but any good moisturizer that you found will work. This is extremely important for preventing skin flaking and drying. Only recommended for days going out, due to drying the skin will work faster in drying out current acne.

*Prescription Product: Morning: Benzaclin Night: Retin A (Swap out for any current prescriptions recommended. Also, if you have already taken this product and have noticed it doesn't work for your case, or you have built up an immunity.)
Pills: ZINC, Full Supplementary Pills (Has a balance of all Vitamins for the body.) Niacin, if needed can have a vitamin booster for a certain category.

Lastly, if you are using combine products feel free to use those in combination with this. For example; Obagi Skin Care products. Use in morning with Benzaclin as your product. At night, use this regiment with Retin A.
Night time Repeat. Shower at least once a day. Use this after shower.

My own regiment:
(Morning)
Baking Soda
Avveno clenser
Apple Cider Vinegar
Egg Mask
Olay Regenerist (If going out)
Benzaclin
(Night)
Baking Soda
Obagi Skin Care System (Use same system above without this skin care system)
Retin A

DAY 1

Hi all - so I'm keeping track of my experience on Spironolactone here. I went to the dermatologist yesterday and she confirmed what I thought - hormonal acne. So in addition to Yaz, I'm going to take 50 mg once a day for 2 months and see where I am from there. Even though I really don't want to be on Yaz anymore (I blame it for my hormonal breakouts) - I'm going to stick with it for at least another month.

My derm also prescribed Rosula wash - I got the generic - and Finacea. I really like the Rosula and Finacea together. I used it last night for the first time and I woke up to a slightly clearer, less red face!

After washing with Rosula, I usually wait for 30 min and then put the Finacea on since the Rosula is medicated and I want it to seep into my skin. Oh well - trying to stay positive and FINALLY GET CLEAR (don't we all want that?)

Anybody reading this that has a similar regimen, give me a shout!!

Hey Everyone,

I am a 22 year old male and have recently started using Duac Topical Gel after being off of it for about 4 months. I am currently finishing up my senior year in college over in California and am looking forward to getting started in the real world. I will admit that for the past couple months I have been plagued with breakouts and the lack of self confidence that comes along with them, simply hoping that these problems will clear by the time graduation ceramonies roll around.

To be honest with you, I got a little greedy and stopped using Duac after using it for almost 2 years and maintaining a very low level of acne. Within a couple months of switching off, my skin became clogged and slowly broke out. The resulting breakouts made me realize how well BP works, and proved to me that when used as part of a well maintained regime it really can clear a path to healthy skin.

One of the main things that I hope to work on this time around is maintaining a healthy level of moisture in my skin while using BP. Previously, I did not use any moisturizer while using Duac, and because of that my skin had to do all the compensating. As you can imagine my skin slowly cleared itself very well, but it also produced a very high level of oil to cope with the dryness.

The first few days have been filled with redness, slight burning, and dryness, but I am confident that those side effects will subside in the coming week or so as my skin adjusts to the BP again. I will continue to post updates with my progress and would love for this to become an open forum where people can discuss their experiences with Duac and similar products as well as life experiences in general. I think traveling down the path to clear skin is much easier when you can talk and share about it with other people, and thats why I love the community that has formed here.

Any additional comments on my regimen are more than welcome. What do people think of jojoba oil? AHA? and other similar additions? Thank you for you help!

Morning:
Eucerin Redness Relief
Duac Topical Gel
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

Evening:
Eucerin Redness Relief
Duac Topical Gel
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

hey guys... i don't want to bore everyone, but just a little background info.. When i get into something, i get into it and learn everything i can about it. Over the last 5 weeks, i have began to change my lifestyle. I started to lift weights, and i learned virtually everything i could about lifting, and came up with a routine that i thought would be most beneficial for me.

I want to do the same for acne. This summer, i am volunteering at a camp for kids with autism and down syndrome. I don't think they will say anything about my acne, but i do feel kind of self-conscious and if they do i will feel kind of weird around them.

I used to think my acne was very bad (it actually used to be pretty damn bad) but after hanging around this forum for a little while, i realize that a lot more people have worse acne than i have. However, i still want to kill this fucking acne that has been bugging me for the last 2ish years of my life. These 2 years seem like my whole life, and my goal is to try to put an end to my acne sometime over the next 1-2 months. Right now, i have some pimples on my chin (on the left/right side, only a whitehead in the middle) and also some pimples on my cheeks (more like a bunch of really little ones bunched up).. this doesn't look too bad, but it's my fucking forehead that has 2 or 3 blackheads (they seem worse to me) and some weird pimple a little above my nose and below my eye brows. I don't think any of it would look bad besides the ones on my forehead if i wasn't so damn light skinned. I am extremely pale, have blue eyes and blond hair, and during the summer my acne looks so much worse!

I have pro-active, which i never completely tried "the right way" with all the steps due to me being lazy, so i want to give that a stab for a bit. My mom also got cetaphil for my brother after he had a mild breakout, and i have heard good things about that so i want to use pro-active in the morning and use cetaphil at night.

I am going to be training 6, maybe even 7 days a week.. 3 devoted to lifting, 2 to running, 1 or 2 to playing soccer. This will be my exercise, and i also hope to get to bed sometime between 11-12:00 and wake up between 7-8:00 depending on when my camp starts (wow it starts in a day and i still don't know what time to be there lol).

As for diet, i try to drink a lot of water. I also have protein shakes on occasion after i lift, and i am not so sure if this is good or bad for acne. I will do my complete best to keep sweets and dairy out of my diet (babysat tonight and they had like 10 flavors of ice cream so i had to have some.. although i feel guilty now) and add as much vegetables and fruits as i possibly can. I bring lunch to the autistic camp, so if anyone knows of some good food that i could eat while i am there, that would be awesome!!

I have A LOT coming up next year with applying to college and all sorts of other sports and shit, and would love to not have to worry about acne in between everything.


To anyone who helps me out, thank you so much... i really appreciate it.

Saw my derm today (may18th-2009), after two months on tetracycline without results im finally starting accutane next week. Going for initial blood work tomorrow, i cant wait to get started

My skin isn't too bad atm, but i had some cystic outbreak while on the tetracycline. And what bothers me the most is all the oil. I'll wash my face in the morning and couple of hours later my face is an oil spill disaster area.

Gonna go stock up on lip balm, moisturizer and suntan lotion tomorrow

I've tried lots of things for my acne but nothing worked. I think that writing down my regimen will help me.

Morning:
Cleanse with NEUTROGENA OIL-FREE ACNE STRESS CONTROL POWER-CREAM WASH( Salicylic Acid 2%)
wait 5 minutes
Apply CLEAN & CLEAR PERSA-GEL 10 (Benzoyl Peroxide 10%)
wait 5 minutes
Apply EUCERIN SENSITIVE SKIN EVERYDAY PROTECTION FACE LOTION (SPF 30)

Night:
Cleanse with NEUTROGENA OIL-FREE ACNE STRESS CONTROL POWER-CREAM WASH( Salicylic Acid 2%)
wait 5 minutes
Apply CLEAN & CLEAR PERSA-GEL 10 (Benzoyl Peroxide 10%)
wait 5 minutes
Apply CLEAN & CLEAR OIL-FREE DUAL ACTION MOISTURIZER (Salicylic Acid .5%)

Do you guys think that this is good? I can't wait too long in between my applications, because especially in the morning, I don't have enough time. Any suggestions? What do you guys use?

I am going to try and record my experience with Yasmin to help me notice things getting better.

I have recently had a lot of success with Dianette which i took for a year and got almost totally clear with. My doctor said it shouldn't be taken long term so I was switched to Cilest (Ortho-Cyclen in US?). But by the 3rd month on Cilest my skin had lost a lot of tone and condition and I was developing nodular and cystic acne again on my chin ( It was horrible because in the first two months I didn't get any spots so I thought I was onto a winner with Cilest (

So I've been prescribed Yasmin again. I have taken this in the past with no horrible side effects but I did notice my libido was lower. However I now don't think that was Yasmin - it's just me!!!! And while I was taking it I was also using topical antibiotics so I wasn't able to judge whether the Yasmin worked properly for my skin. So I'm having another go!

Right now my skin is greasy and feels icky (which it hasn't felt like in a year) and I have a large new nodular spot on my chin which is very painful and an old one that has just stopped hurting. My skin is blotchy, becomes red easily after washing, has large pores around the nose and I have a few smaller pimples around my mouth, chin, and forehead which just don't seem to want to heal.

I'm going to start using Yasmin tomorrow.

Hi there, today I got my 1st order of M.B skin products and I was just wondering if anyone else has had success with them? I've heard good things but appreciate it could just be yet another lotion and cream I'm sticking on my face! Won't hold my breath but here's hoping..........

Hey everyone! I thought I would start a log to document what improvement I may have with Face Reality Skincare in CA. I'm a long distance client, so this should be interesting. However, all my contact with them has been great so far...they're very helpful!

I started my regimen on November 11, 2008. You can see it all below in my signature. Right now I don't have any inflamed acne (although my regimen is geared toward that), so I'm interested to see if/when my uninflamed acne will go away. I have very mild acne (most of the time), but when it goes bad, it goes REALLY bad!

I washed my face with the whole regimen for the first time this morning, and I must say that it felt rather good. That's about all I can say as of now though - LOL! I'll update more in a couple/few days.

January 1, 2009 – I decide to discontinue my birth control pill (Microgestin Fe) after four years of use as a contraceptive, not as an acne deterrent.

March 15, 2009 – I begin to break out as I have never broken out before. The size, number, and location of pimples are not familiar although I have had mild acne for ten years (since age 14).

Early April 2009 – I become determined to not resume birth control although I suspect doing so would take my acne back down from moderate to mild. I can’t stay on birth control my entire life! Also, I have discovered that picking at my face has been making my acne worse for as long as I’ve had acne and especially now that I have lot more acne than before. Can I stop picking at myself right now, when my face seems the least attractive and, frankly, pop-able?

Late April 2009 – My acne continues to look horrendous. Why am I putting so many chemicals into and onto my body if they don’t clear my skin? For years now, I’ve been using Benzoyl Peroxide, Clindamycin, Differin, and Doxycycline. And I still look like shit. What the point? I might as well stop my acne-battling routine altogether. I began using a regular routine when I was 17 or so and I stumbled upon this website. I followed Dan’s routine and found that it wasn’t enough to clear my face so I started adding product after product to my routine. Obviously, this hasn’t served me well…

May 14, 2009 – I have abstained from BP, Clindamycin, Differin, and Doxycycline for one week now. My face doesn’t look any worse and it doesn’t look any better. I want to establish a simpler, more natural, and more animal-friendly routine to use while I wait for my hormones to, hopefully, return to the way they were before I started using birth control pills. I want my mild acne back! My log begins here.

Hi I decided to make my own blog, about my "self-created" regimen.. I will update every 3rd day, so you guys can follow..

I have bad acne on my upper back, and a tiny bit in my face..


^{My regimen is:}

Morning :

- Benzoyl Peroxide 2,5 (Dan's treatment)
- Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion SPF 15, Sensitive Skin + 4 drops of Dan's jojoba oil
- Zinc tablet (only 20mg)
- Multivitamin pill.


Evening :

- Benzoyl Peroxide 2,5 (Dan's treatment)
- CeraVe moisturizing Lotion + 5 drops of Dan's jojoba oil




When shower: I use the Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash .

I use the CeraVe only in the evening because it is a bit greasy - But I need it because it is VERY helpfull to my dry skin.


I am using Benzoyl Peroxide 10% as a spot treatment, and it is soooooooo nice


This is my first day on my regimen, and I am very excited !!

Follow my improvements (or disimprovements) and my thoughts..

tjatjatja

I have been painstakingly trying to figure out how to improve my dull, lifeless, acne ridden, red, oily, flaky complexsion for a few years. I have tried Dan's Regimen, Acne Practice Regimen, AHA, Scrubs, Sea Breeze Astringent, CeraVe, Cetephil, Several Organic Oils and Cleansers.. you name it i tried it. Along the way i started noticing the more cleansers and soaps i used the more oily and dry i've become (some more than others), so i started searching for a cleanser that didnt contain chemicals, exfoliators, oils and soaps. And i found one!

It's a deep pore cleanser that is a gel, its all natural and produces no lather like ordinary soaps (remember, the more a cleanser foams or suds, the more damaging it is to the stratum corneum, the top layer of your skin, when the stratum corneum is damaged it tends to produce more oil/dryness and more acne breakouts). The cleanser is called L'Bris Pure N' Natural Deep Pore Cleanser, i use it with a nice sponge that the company provides. I use the deep pore cleanser because my skintype is oily/combination/normal skin (most people have this type), if you have normal/dry/sensitive skin there is a Gentle Cleanser the company provides. Basically all their products contain Stabilized Aloe Vera Gel and other natural ingredients, the company is very strict on what goes into their products and strive for 100% natural yet still provide amazing results.

Basically just use this Deep Pore Cleanser 1-2 times everyday, one in the morning and one before you goto sleep. Just a nickel sized amount on your fingers, rub the stuff around, and with warm/tepid water under the shower just gently rub again with your fingers to get the gel off, use their sponge gently wiping the face in downwards strokes all over the face and rinse again then pat dry. Thats it! I do this once everyday and i have seen amazing improvements in my complexion and basically the way it looks and feels. I am indeed less oily, less dry and red/irritated. The red dots (non pustile acne) on my cheeks is completely gone and the blackheads on my nose have been reduced and all of this occoured with in 3 days!

Aloe Vera is called a miracle plant, its been used by Ghandi as a health supplement and Cleopatra as her beauty secret. Aloe vera has been proven to heal cuts, scrapes within weeks and burns ranging from sunburns to 3rd degree burns. Aloe vera has been used for major wounds and has healed many with no visible signs of scarring. It's also been proven to cure such things as eczema and psoriasis, which is one of the skin disorders that has been said to have no cure. Lbri's products it cure complexion problems ranging from redness, itchy skin, enlarged pores and blackheads, wrinkles, acne, dry skin and etc.

Aloe vera is one of the greatest moisturizers on the planet, it renews skin cells and protects and moisturizes the cells. This makes all the skin cells in your face work properly and allows normal cell turnover to continue giving the skin a flawless glowing complexion that isint dry/oily or dull.

Modern acne treatment tells us that harsh chemicals like benzoyl peroxide, rubbing alcohol, petroleum oils are good to maintain a flawless skin complexion. However everyone is beginning to notice that this isint true in the majority of cases! Oils chemicals and alcohol are the enemy of skin, they make the skin age faster and makes skin more vulnerable to irritated, dehydrated, oily acne and large pores/blackheads. So if you are fed up with products containing these things only leaving your skin worse off then when you started you should atleast try L'bris Deep Pore Cleanser (or the gentle cleanser for people with normal/dry/sensitive skin) and just try it out for a week and see if you notice any change in your skin condition... the cleanser l'bri provides is best when coupled with either their oil-free moisturizer (oily/normal/combination skin) or their gentle moisturizer (dry/normal/sensitive skin).

There is another company i have my eye on that also base their products solely on stabilized aloe vera gel, they are called Forever Living Products and they have an excellent product called "Aloe Vera Gelly" in these cases it has cured severe 3rd degree burns on a woman's face and there was no sign of scars. Another patient used this gel for Psoriasis on his entire body, he is now 100% cured from psoriasis! Don't believe me? watch the video below.



Psoriasis is a debilitating skin disease that effects peoples daily lives as it is painful, itchy and unsightly. Psoriasis is known as "Sorry-As-Is-Disease" meaning its basically un-curable.... until now!

few more before and after photos of people who used Aloe Vera products:
http://www.flpcanada.com/whatisaloel_page.htm
http://lbri.com/testimonials.aspx

For more information on Aloe Vera and how to successfully care for your skin please go here:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...530577

Self treatment was not going very well. I was using BenzaClin but after awhile it seemed to stop working. I was frustrated and tired of feeling self-conscious. So I went to a dermatologist and was given Azelex in addition to the BenzaClin. I use them together day and night. It's been 2 1/2 weeks and my skin is considerably clearer. If it stays in this improved condition I will have a chemical peel in two weeks. I have attached before and after pictures and I'll do so after the chemical peel.

So I finally decided to start one of these things.. Mainly for self-assurance and motivation. I think that I can keep up with my progress better when it's documented and not just in my head.

I'm 21, male, with an oily complexion and mild acne. My breakouts are very random and I hardly know when to expect them. It's like they come out of nowhere at the most inconvenient times.. Anyway, I've had success with benzoyl peroxide in the past but I've strayed away. Let's just say that the weekends upon weekends of coming home when the chickens wake and not washing my face before bed have finally caught up with me. Now, I'm back at it and I hope to clear up 100% again. Last year this same month I was in the same situation but I managed to clear up 100% by April. Hopefully I can do it again and stay that way!

I'm using:
-Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser
-Clean and Clear 10% Persa-Gel
-Neutrogena Moisture SPF15

I want to keep my regimen simple so I can be less dependent on facial products in the future. Before, I used a toner to get rid of flakey skin but I really want to eliminate any "extra" steps. I've found that the Pore Refining Cleanser doesn't flake my skin so I have no more use for a toner. I just don't feel well having so many products on my face all day, so the BP and moisturizer are enough, no toner!

--Current--
Left:
1 very pronounced pimple on middle of cheek, 2 very red pimples along jaw

Right:
smooth, but has moderately-red marks everywhere

Forehead:
smooth and clear

It has begun!

DAY 4

...so good! Its only been 4 days, but my skin is looking better and no new pimples have sprung up yet hope it stays that way! The only thing I'm noticing with the Spiro is that its making me SOO tired. On Saturday morning, I couldn't get up and like 20 mins later, I fell asleep sitting up...it kept up like that all day. Today is better, but I think its because I had two cups of tea.

My face isn't reacting badly to the Finacea, which is great - and after using it one night, my boyfriend said it looked a lot better! Yayy

I'm Haley! I'm 15 and my skin isn't that bad, but I have zits on my forehead and sometimes my chin. Also, I have blackheads all over my nose. My skin gets oily, but it also gets really dry around my mouth. Of course, I just want to be totally clear!

I was using Clinique Acne Solutions 3 step system for about 2 months, which completely cleared me up at first! But in the past few weeks, I feel like it hasn't been doing much at all I read a lot of bad things about the system, and decided I need to change my regimen!

But I need some feedback/help on if this regimen is even going to work!

I just began this today:

Morning:
- Clean & Clear Continuous Acne Cleanser (10% BP)
- Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion (2% SA)
- Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer.

Night:
- Makeup removing wipes.
- Clean & Clear Continuous Acne Cleanser (10% BP)
- Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion (2% SA)
- Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment (2% SA) where needed.
- Clean & Clear NIGHT Soft Oil Free Moisturizer.


Advice please?

Thank you so much in advance! <3

I've been browsing acne.org, and I keep on seeing CSR and DKR interspersed here and there. I know they refer to different types of regimens, but what are they acronyms for specifically, and which regimens do they describe?

Thanks!